Category: Musings

A Good Dive Buddy

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Exploration dive with task force, Linamon waters
Buddy system is basic for safety in diving

I’ m sharing this article from http://www.bookyourdive.com to remind me again to be always a good dive buddy, I have always love diving and I become particular how to behave properly underwater.

A dive buddy is someone with whom you share your diving experience in order to prevent emergencies and solve problems when they occur. The buddy system is used by divers to make sure that someone is always there, helping to maintain the safety of the other buddy throughout the entire dive.

What It Means To Be a Good Dive Buddy.

Whenever you go diving, it is important to have a dive buddy that you can trust from the time you are on the boat to the time you dive into the water and then return to the boat or shore at the end of your dive. You definitely want to have a buddy with you, to share the fun with you and be there in the event of an emergency. In the same way, you need to learn how to be a good buddy to someone else, because you want to be able to help someone in need and make sure that you can help him/her enjoy his/her dive. Here are some tips on how to be a good dive buddy.

A good dive buddy is always ready to help
A good dive buddy is always ready to help

Being a Good Dive Buddy

A good dive buddy takes safety seriously. He or she is someone who is knowledgeable about scuba safety, knows how to use diving safety devices, and is willing to perform the Pre-Dive Safety Check before each and every dive. By showing that he or she is concerned about safety, a dive buddy will put his or her buddy at ease and will create a level of confidence that can lead to an even higher level of enjoyment throughout the dive.

Another quality of a good dive buddy is someone who communicates well both on land as well as in the water. Try to establish signals that you both can use before you head down into the water, so that while diving, you will be able to understand each other’s gestures more easily and not be left confused by each other’s hand signals. A good buddy is someone who communicates how close or how far he or she is willing to be from his or her buddy, and this will also be important to know during the dive.

Dive buddies stick to each other
Dive buddies stick to each other

Before a dive, a good buddy will establish what he or she prefers while he or she is diving. For example, the dive buddy should state whether he or she likes to drift along from a distance or get closer to a site. A good buddy will be one who shares the same feelings about how to experience a dive.

A dive buddy will also be around the same skill level as his or her diving partner. In this way, one will not be held back or forced to go too quickly by the other. Having a similar skill set will allow both divers to experience the dive from similar perspectives, and it can lessen the odds of conflicts regarding how fast or how far to swim during the dive.

Coming into Silence

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Rich marine life at the shoal

Fun isn’t important, purpose is, and actions that have some real meaning…

Silence… My own breathing… Bubbles.  Holding on to a rope, descending, slowly.  Nothing in sight, just waters and the sound of my breathing.  There was only stillness as I went unto depths.  Just few minutes back, there was turmoil on the surface and I was out of breath as I swam for the line. I was gasping, my mind racing just wanting to cancel my dive.  But my dive guide was firm and with controlled voice plainly told me to hold the line.

Banaug Shoal is 22 meters depth, in between was all waters with no sign of life – there was only pure silence.  Slowly descending to this underwater hill is like stepping into the unknown hoping to land on a paradise.  Indeed it is, a self-contained spot with so much life.  The damsels swarmed us, the couple red snapper followed not wanting to be left behind.  There was a display of resident species – angels, seargents, anthias, lionfish and more.  The reef is colourful as it was, we found a leaf fish which is something new to me, I thought for awhile it was a scorpiofish! There were nudis too –

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Leaf fish at the shoal – new to me!

black/white combi was new.  The resident scorpionfish still sitting on the coral top – just waiting for a prey.  But I missed the big moray eel, he didn’t show up from his hole.  I was wondering if he was just watching us from under the rocks.  Lingered for more basking in the presence of the shoal’s residents but when my NDL got at four minutes, I signalled to the dive guide for the ascent after 51 minutes with air still at 80 bars.  Speeding back to the resort, I was left alone by the staff after we agreed for the 1 pm second descent.  The good thing was there was no other guests for the day, the place was all to myself totally.

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The resident scorpionfish on coral top

Silence…  Sitting by the waterfront reading my book, the withered talisay leaves collected my feet as the noon winds blew under the trees.

The waters became fiercer so the next descent as explained by the guide is at Lapinig Island instead of Talisayan Shoal, to take refuge from the raging waves of the open sea.  Speeding off, I was hoping the current would be manageable.  Again, this lowly island never disappointed me, we descend on a sandy slope  and slowly swam taking my time observing the rich colourful secrets of its depths.  We got to a coral area hosting Christmas tree worms creating a miniature holiday scene.  Many of them quickly hid in their holes as I drew near but few of them was generous enough, stood their ground as I took photos.  There were colourful nudis, cleaner shrimp on anemones, clownfishes, anthias and more.  The highlight of which was an encounter with a cuttlefish.  Most often, they would just quickly disappear from sight, but this one

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The grouper wanting to be fed!

choose to stay nearby in a way observing us too.  I was inching my way nearer but he was backing off inch by inch too maintaining its distance! Such magnificent animal.  For awhile we float face to face, its fins wiggling around him as it swam backwards.  I gathered a handful of trash  as we went around, as every descent is a clean-up one. I needed keen eyes for this.  The current has gotten stronger as we went shallower, I have to hold on to the coral rocks to maintain my depth during my safety stop – I was swept away up.  We surface after 61 minutes with my air at 80 bars, the waves surging on and the waters fiercer.  The cold sea air sweeping us and the salt water spraying us,  as we sped off for the shores, watching the horizons in silence.  It felt good.

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Christmas tree worm in white and yellow

Coming home to MADRI and spending time in its nearby depths in silence is one best way to revive my sagging spirits and to brace me for the daunting year-end tasks.  Just pure and natural silence.

NB.  Both dives were in EAN 30%.

Related Articles

Diving in Europe?

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My probing eyes tried to absorb all the sites before me as the city tour bus rolled off. I just arrived Frankfurt the night before, the difference of six hours of time zone from Philippines left me undaunted. I started the day like any Deutsch determined for my “to do” list on hand. The buffet breakfast in my hostel was more than enough for my energy boost, but I gulped down two glasses of multi-vitamin saft to be sure I had enough resistance against the new weather. The morning was crisp as I got out from the heavy oak door of my hostel.

Along the Rhine River, Frankfurt am Main
Along the Rhine River, Frankfurt am Main

I was pressing my nose on the glass windows grasping the colorful sights and the impressive buildings, then smiled as we passed along trees by the Rhine River that started to change colors. And I started to click and click for photos. Then as we go around tracking the tour route, I catch Happy Dive – Frankfurt dive shop at Elizabethenstrasse! It was a surprise as I wasn’t expecting to spot one as I arrived Germany in just few hours. I can’t help smiling and touch my dive computer on my wrist, my travel buddy even if I’m not diving. The mermaid in me felt good, I was reminded that I am a diver even in foreign lands, and even if my itinerary didn’t include dives.

Happy Dive – Frankfurt

Two weeks later over the weekend, I asked my cousin about her diving news bits. She got certified two years ahead of me but to my surprise, she barely had 30 dives. Her dives consist only of trip to Egypt, Corsica Island (off in France) and a simulation dive in a deep pool. She added that the marine life in her dives paled in comparison in Philippines, there is so much life and color in her descents in Philippine waters.

Diving in Europe is one dream, perhaps it would be impressive where it all had started. Early diving expeditions started here and SCUBA was discovered by Sir Jacques Yves Cousteau. But diving in Philippines can not be understated, many Europeans came over just to dive and I met divers in my dives in Coron, El Nido and Tubbataha. Our tropical waters has been attracting Europeans, many of them either established diving business, work in diving communities, stayed for good and have families in our lands.

Diving in Europe? Perhaps one day. Perhaps, a reason to be back one day….

Happy Dive Frankfurt
Elisabethenstraße 140
60594 Frankfurt-Sachsenhausen

Phone 069 / 40563219
Mobile 0176 / 31384141
E-Mail info@happydive-frankfurt.de
Monday 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Tuesday to Friday 2:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Saturday 9:30 am – 4:00 pm

100 Hours of Pure Bliss

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Just a note for one more milestone in my diving journey, month ago being on my 5th year in diving I earned 100 hours underwater. It was on my 123rd dive, not on a fancy dive resort wallowing in luxurious amenities but on Linamon coast in Iligan Bay.  It was an exploration dive on a sunny Sunday with blue skies, just perfect for an underwater venture.  After some works in the fish sanctuary, the Linamon project work force suggested for a break and went with me.

Although the west end of the fish sanctuary was not a usual site, we were not disappointed. The depths was blessed with biodiversity.  There was variety of corals, sponges, invertebrates, crinoids, hydroids and fish species.  We found nudis, juveniles and even crown of thorns. The visibility was good although there was kind of murky area, we didn’t find trash underwater. I was impressed that residents in the coastal area have managed well their waste disposal.  It just occurred to me that LGU Linamon was an awardee on War on Waste movement few years back.

Looking back, all my 100 hours were pure joy and very enriching – treasures indeed worth reminiscing. I have lost track in my dive log. I dive and dive with spontaneity, record my descents without counting the hours.  It was just coincidence that we ended with a sumptuous lunch at Grande Brasille Resto nearby.  I shared laughter and stories with Che, Sam, JR, Alvin Jay and Jong before going home.  It was still a celebration altogether!